U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,529, which is owned by the same assignee as the present invention, discloses a dual-axle equalizer hanger system used in a vehicle on-board weighing system. In one of the embodiments which has been commercially implemented, a force transducer is secured to a facing surface of the equalizer hanger to measure the weight of the vehicle load. One of the disadvantages of that system is the expense required for the manufacture and/or inventory of the large number of possible equalizer hanger systems. In addition, if a force transducer fails, the entire equalizer hanger assembly must be cut off the vehicle and a new one welded on.
The basic system disclosed in the '529 patent, however, was an improvement over previous systems in which portions of the frame of the vehicle had to be cut away and then replaced by a beam-type load cell, to which the equalizer hanger was then secured. This was an even more expensive and time-consuming process.
In order to satisfy the demand for a simple retrofit weighing system for use with a load equalizer suspension assembly, the system of the present invention was designed. The present design allows the use of conventional load cells and conventional equalizer members, as well as permitting fast and convenient replacement of existing load cells which may become defective.